Across the Universe

Okay, if you love Moulin Rouge then you'll definitely love this modern-day musical movie with lots of Beatles tunes and a lead actor with an amazing voice. I can't decide whether I like Ewan McGregor or Jim Sturgess more. It is a bit weird in parts (Brad calls them "crack-smokin' parts), but it is in the 60s and there has to be some acid trips in it somewhere, right? But overall, it's entertaining and the talent is amazing, oh and it's a love story, too. Who could resist a good love story and Beatles tunes?

SPT- Pick me up

What do you turn to when you need a quick "pick me up?"
I find whatever sugar there is to be found in the pantry or I turn on Ellen which always makes me laugh! Oh, I also have saved a birthday message from my friend, Brooke, singing to me in a hilarious voice. That's also sure to pick me up where ever, whenever!

Love, Marriage, & Valentines

A few of my favorite quotes in honor of the day of LOVE (Brad, these remind me of us!) and our handmade Valentines:

"True love stories never have endings." -- Richard Bach

"To love another person is to see the face of God."-- Les Miserables

"Marriage hath in it less of beauty but more of safety, than the single life; it hath more care, but less danger, it is more merry, and more sad; it is fuller of sorrows, and fuller of joys; it lies under more burdens, but it is supported by all the strengths of love and charity, and those burdens are delightful."-- Bishop Jeremy Taylor

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking together in the same direction."--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.”

Self-Portrait Tuesday (SPT)/ "Love, Me"

I ran across this idea as I was blog surfing. I think it makes me reflect a little, be willing to share pictures of myself, and gives me something to write about on my blog. Check it out here.
What will you do for yourself this valentine's day?

Well, I sometimes profess to be a scrapbooker, but the truth is that I get more frustration and feelings of being overwhelmed than I do enjoyment. Despite that, I do want to have my pictures and life in scrapbooks. So, for Valentines I made Brad (and really it's for me too) a scrapbook with all the reasons I love him! It ended up being pretty cute and I hope he enjoys reading it! I'm glad I'll have it to read in later years and my kids will see that, although I yell at their dad quite often, I really do love him with all my heart! Check it out!

Valentines Book

{Tess & Memory Monday}

I thought I should post some more recent pictures of Tess. She rarely holds still enough for me to even snap a picture. She's got the cutest head full of curls! I know it looks like I never do her hair, but I promise it's done for at least 5 minutes a day until she can get her hands on it. I love the rag-a-muffin look, though. Here are a few of my recent favorites:

and {MEMORY MONDAY}
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT YOUR MOTHER'S WEDDING?
I know my mom married my dad on the shore of Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park wearing a sexy summer dress. My grandparents and a preacher were in attendance. They cut and ate their wedding cake at the lodge where strangers helped them celebrate. This is so like my parents. They are always spontaneous and go on trips never knowing where they'll end up. I love them for that!

Reality

This one is for Jill. Her post about the perfect bloggerworld reflected my thoughts exactly. I've been getting depressed while looking at blogs because, like any woman, I compare myself. We all put our good foot forward, of course, but let's also put out there what is real. Brad just told me to quite looking at blogs, but I think they have some positive things about them. They inspire me to be better, more thoughtful, more fun, more creative and they give me lots of good ideas. But sometimes, they just make me feel like I'm the only one out there that got shafted when it came to talents...I'm not a professional scrapbooker, photographer, awesome cook, or world's greatest mom and I don't have a perfect family or life. So, along with all the positive stuff, I just want to feel normal in comparison. Thanks for making me feel that way, Jill. I yell at my kid and husband, too. Let's use our blogs to inspire one another!
P.S. Although I don't have the perfect husband, he is pretty great. After watching the WW Leadership Training, which was on building strong homes and families and was awesome, I came home to him baking us homemade cinnamon rolls. He really "wow"ed me with that one! They were delicious, Sweetie!

Tag, I'm it!

Okay, Matti tagged me about a month ago, but I've just recently updated the blog. In honor of Valentine's day and love of our spouses, here goes:

How long have you been together?
Almost 4 years
Who said "I Love You" first?
I did, of course!  I tell everyone I love them if I do, even friends.  If you know Brad, his response won't surprise you.  He would always respond "Thanks".  I had that engraved on the inside of his wedding ring.  After a few more weeks, though, our relationship deepened and he was the first to say, "I think I'm falling in love with you!"
Who is smarter?
Well, if we're fighting we both think we're the smartest.  Tough question, it depends on the subject.  Brad is a money genius and remembers everything including all small details.  I have the medical smarts I guess!
Who Pays the Bills?
Joint effort.  Brad and I keep each other well informed.  We're both talented at managing money (makes for fewer arguments...whew!)
Who Cooks Dinner?
We both do. Brad has definitely been doing more of the cooking lately.  But he's so good at it!
Who drives when you're in the car together?
Mostly Brad, unless I'm feeling especially nice.
Who is the most stubborn?
Hah!  Good question!
Who wears the pants in your family?
Tess!  She rules the roost.  Kidding.  I thought I'd wear the pants, but Brad quickly stomped out that idea.  We are equals.
Okay, now three random things about me:
1. I love the smell of skunk.  My mom grew up on a farm and said, "mmmm" every time we smelled a skunk.  It stuck with me.  Guess that shows you the power of a mother's influence.  
2. I wanted to be a belly dancer when I was little.
3. I love holey jeans and worn out T-shirts.  Must get it from my dad.

I'm tagging:
Jill
Alyson
Brooke

Just Call Me "Red"

I went a little radical and changed to red! Love the color and the cut! It's fun to be a new me I never knew existed! Thanks Whitney!

Happy Birthday 2008! I'm 29!

I had an awesome birthday and there's still more celebrating to do this weekend! I love when my birthday lasts more than one day. I got spoiled! I got lunch, flowers, gifts, and dinner at Tepanyaki. So many friends remembered and it made me feel so good! My mom took me to Riverdance which was spectacular, too. I am going to live it up this last year of my twenties!!! Oh yah!

Catching Up

Okay, well, in response to my friends' many requests and to share a bit about us, I am updating my blog. Wow, Labor Day was pretty long ago. I guess my blogging will be like my journal entries which come in spurts. I have been super busy for reasons you are all probably very familiar with, but no more excuses. I'll be keeping up on my blog as a way to help me get out my thoughts, follow my progress throughout the year, and record the many things I love about my life. Here are the highlights since I last wrote:

1. I was called as Young Women President when our ward split. Needless to say, I have been super busy trying to figure it all out. I am happy to say I think I'm getting it figured out a bit, but don't hold me to that statement. I'm super busy with this calling, but I am also greatly blessed.

2. Brad and I took an amazing trip down Scenic Byway 12 in Southern Utah to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. The fall colors were gorgeous and we got to try out my new camera! It was very cold at night, but we cuddled up in the back of our Pilot and read together. We visited Bryce Canyon, Escalante National Monument, Calf Creek Falls, and Capitol Reef along with many other scenic places on the way home. It was so nice to be away alone and remember that we have so much fun together and still have tons to talk about. It is so much fun to just be spontaneous on a trip and play it by ear. We saw a lot of things that we normally wouldn't have seen. It was great!


3. We got a puppy! Clover, a female American Bulldog, is now 5 months old. She's such a cute dog as you can see, but she is also so good, fun, and calm. She and Tess are great buds and like to pal around together all day! I call them "the kids." My life for the past 4 months could be compared to one of a mother of toddler twins, one which refuses to wear diapers and likes to ruin their mom's favorite pair of dress shoes. It is harder to have a puppy than a newborn, seriously!! All things considered, I still love having her around. I never thought I could love a dog this much.


4. Tess turned one! That year flew by! We had a puppy party and I tried my hand at cake decorating with my mom's help. Tess is just the cutest! She loved smashing her cake, but got a little overwhelmed with all her many presents! Her new puppy was definitely her favorite birthday gift!


5. For Halloween, Tess was the cutest Annie Oakley you've ever seen!


6. We had an awesome Christmas this year! Brad's work took us to the Grand America for an overnight stay. They also treated us to all the meals, rented out a theater for a movie, gave us money to shop for several sub-for-santa families and widows, took the guys bobsledding and the ladies to a morning at the spa, took us on a $1200 shopping spree to Dick's Sporting Goods, and topped it all off with a 42" flat screen t.v. Ya, I was like, "WOW!" too. We were spoiled. We also had a wonderful Christmas with our families and loved watching Tess on Christmas morning.


7. We've witnessed a miracle in my family. My mom suffers from horrible back pain. She finally got a neurostimulator implant which is awesome! It's the first time in years that I've heard her say she has no pain! What a blessing! I want to get on the list for one!


8. 2008 is off the a great start! We've got some good goals to work towards. We've been busy, but having fun. I sped through the Twilight series. Luckily, Brad loves his new Playstation 3 which keeps him busy while I read.